Reflections of a Lake Farm School Parent

For the last two years, my husband and I have been taking our three-year-old daughter to the Lake Farm School's parent-toddler program on Saturday mornings. This is a magical place set on an organic farm and wildlife habitat near Gardner, Kansas. I have found the school to be every bit as much a place of refuge for my family and me as the farm is a refuge for the wildlife. What was so appealing about the school for me initially was something purely tangible, or so I thought. I was drawn to the preschool's conscious use of wholesome, natural materials in everything from the cornbread baked by the children for snack every week to the simple, hand-sewn dolls and wooden toys intended to help foster the children's imaginations and sense of beauty. I felt myself relax as I walked into the preschool room, its walls awash in shades of soft pinks and light yellows, and my senses awakened as I played with bits of nubby yarn and scraps of plant-dyed wool that my daughter would bring to me. Everything was subdued, yet very interesting and gently stimulating, as opposed to the mass-produced, highly-commercialized items commonly available for children. But more than the physical aspects of the school, what I have come to appreciate the most about the Lake Farm School are the intangibles. The school is sustained by a deep reverence for children and a commitment to their healthy development. Inherent in this is a commitment by teachers and parents alike to strive to be the best possible examples for the children to imitate. Discipline is all about self-discipline and the establishment of a predictable and reassuring rhythm. The emphasis on rhythm extends to a celebration of seasonal festivals which bring families together and serve to slow down the pace of life and offer opportunity for focusing on the moment and recognizing true priorities. The result of all of this is the creation of a very special space, built with elusive, deceptively simple components, that gently but firmly holds the children, parents and teachers in its form, allowing all to gather, connect and be fully present with each other. The Lake Farm is a sanctuary indeed.